1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic percussion instruments and, more particularly, an electronic interactive drum set and a method for teaching youngsters the basic rhythms and beats of percussion instruments for different musical styles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many prior art electronic music systems for educational applications rely on elaborate computer hardware and software such as, for example, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) to provide instructive aids to a user. Such systems are expensive to acquire as well as too complex to be used by most children. Oftentimes, the user must invest a significant amount of time and effort to learn about the system itself. These and other factors generally discourage widespread usage of these systems, even though these systems have a wide range of capabilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,457 to Devecka discloses an interactive electronic drum system for use in a coin-operated environment. The system includes electronic drum pads for a snare, a hi-hat cymbal, a crash cymbal, a ride cymbal, four toms; a bass drum foot activator or pedal; a foot pedal or activator for controlling the opening and closing of the hi-hat; and an additional foot pedal or activator which may be included to add a variety of additional sound effects, such as "wa-wa" or the like. Each of the drum pads or pedals has one or more associated LEDs to guide a user by visually cuing the user to strike the appropriate pads or pedals. The drum system further includes a personal computer, a display screen, a CD ROM drive and a set of speakers. The system has a jam lesson mode in which the user may select a style of music such as, for example, Rock, Dance/Rap, Country, Heavy Metal, and Jazz. The system then verbally explains how to play the selected music style and encourages the user to try a "simple example." Next, the system lights up the LEDs in sequence to cue the proper activation of hi-hat, snare and bass drum etc. Then, the system demonstrates a suitable beat by playing the cymbals, snare drum and bass drum etc. Afterward, the system plays a background musical piece of the selected music style so as to show the user how the beat keeps up with the music. The user then practices for a period of time. Feedback is provided at the end of the lesson. The system also has a "jam alone" mode, in which the user can play the drums with no instruction or cuing so that the user can test his ability to play what he has already learned in previous lessons. Devecka's system is, however, complex and costly to manufacture as it requires a myriad of computer components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,889 to Segan et al. discloses an electronic percussion synthesizer assembly having a spider-like drumhead support structure which minimizes the damping effect on the drum surface. The spider-like structure has legs configured to serve as shock absorbers for attenuating vibrations from the drumhead. The assembly also includes an electronic control unit, responsive to user commands, for controlling different drum sounds to be generated as the drum pads are struck and for enabling different background rhythms to be played as a user plays along on the drum pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,735 to Shaffer et al. discloses a music training system for assisting a person to play a stringed musical instrument by visually cuing the sequence of notes on the musical instrument. The system includes a controller having an input for receiving musical data and a plurality of LEDs mounted on the musical instrument.